Centuries of Grime Removed to Uncover Brilliant Jain Shrine at Nelson-Atkins
Kansas City, MO. June 20, 2014
Never-Before-Seen Shrine Opening this Weekend
A large, elaborately carved Jain shrine covered in centuries of grime has been restored to brilliant beauty by a conservation team at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Purchased in 1932 before the museum opened, the elaborate shrine has never been displayed until now.
Julián Zugazagoitia, Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell Director & CEO, said, “We are thrilled to continue exploring our collections and uncovering treasures that go back to the founding of the museum. Now after a great conservation effort, the public will have the opportunity to enjoy this masterpiece.”
“The museum’s original records described the piece as an Indian pulpit, so when it was purchased we didn’t entirely recognize its significance,” said Kimberly Masteller, the Jeanne McCray Beals Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, who joined the Nelson-Atkins in 2008. “This is an outstanding example of a domestic Jain shrine and one of only seven known in U.S. collections.”
A team of conservators led by Kate Garland dedicated their time over the past year cleaning and reassembling the shrine’s columns, doors, lintel, jambs and a portico that once served as the entrance to an urban or domestic Indian shrine.
“We used solvent gels and thousands of swabs to slowly expose a few inches at a time,” said Garland, Senior Objects Conservator. “It was very exciting to see this brilliant piece of art revealed, bit by bit.”
Using sophisticated tests such as carbon dating, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, the conservators discovered that the shrine dates to the 16th century and was repainted sometime after 1814. Analytical work for the shrine was supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Jainism is an ancient religion from India. Jains practice non-violent behaviors to work towards individual perfection. Their ultimate goal is liberation from rebirth. A liberated individual who serves as an exemplar is known as a Jina (victor) or Tirthankara (one who makes a path for others).
Jain practice requires daily veneration of an image of the Jina, either at a community temple or at a home shrine. It was common for wealthy Jains in western India to commission elaborate ghar derasars (house temples) for private use. These domestic shrines were frequently constructed in wood and decorated with paint and relief carvings. Like the one in the Nelson-Atkins collection, they also usually used key elements of temple architecture in their design.
https://nelson-atkins.org/jainshrine
Revealing a Hidden Treasure: A Jain Shrine from India is on display in Gallery 203 until June 2015
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City is recognized nationally and internationally as one of America’s finest art museums. The Nelson-Atkins serves the community by providing access and insight into its renowned collection of more than 33,500 art objects and is best known for its Asian art, European and American paintings, photography, modern sculpture, and new American Indian and Egyptian galleries. Housing a major art research library and the Ford Learning Center, the Museum is a key educational resource for the region. The institution-wide transformation of the Nelson-Atkins has included the 165,000-square-foot Bloch Building expansion and renovation of the original 1933 Nelson-Atkins Building.
The Nelson-Atkins is located at 45th and Oak Streets, Kansas City, MO. Hours are Wednesday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thursday/Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission to the museum is free to everyone. For museum information, phone 816.751.1ART (1278) or visit nelson-atkins.org/.